Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-22
DAILY HERALD.
THE GREAT EASTERN.
Interesting Facts About
the Leviathan Boat.
HER COST AND CAPABILITIES.
What Has Been Done With Her
Since Her Launching in 1853
A Financial Failure.

columns OF the HERALD conveyed Tue
Intelligence that the famous Great
Eastern steamship had been sold for
the sum of $l05, 900. The history OF
this boat has been famous one in
the annals OF ship building. In 1852
there was formed in London compa-
my known as the Eastern Steam Nav
igation Company, whose ostensible
purpose was to conduct an ocean
steam route to the East via the Cape
of Good Hope. One or two vessels
were chartered and the scheme
was put into execution but
after year or two's experience it was
found that the expenses were too
heavy to carry on the concern sue
cessfully. Coal was impossible to OBJ
tain en- route, and the company was
compelled to equip and maintain
cooling stations at which the boats
oonll call to replenish their stoke
holds.
Mr.. BRUNEL's PLANS.
In 1858 Mr.. Brunei presented to the
association his plans Tor the con-
struction OF mammoth steamship,
which would be able 10
carry sufficient coal for It's
round trip and, in addition, accommo,,
date large number Of passengers and
m extensive cargo. His plans. were
accepted and the contract was let 10
Mr. scott Russell, who at the time OPP
Grated large ship-building works at
Millwall-on-the- Thames. According
70 Mr.. Brunels plans the boat would
he able to accommodate 1000 passen-
gers. 5000 tons of merchandise and
is 600 tons of coal for fuel. The
work of construction commenced
Nay /, 1854, and as the
mighty vessel gradually grew in her
bulk. she became a source OF much In
terest to the public, and great crowds
daily focked to the yards to witness
her development.
SHE Is LAUNCHED.
On the second day of November,
1857, over three years from the day
when the operations were commenced,
the great ship was announced as ready
for launching, and on the day follow
ing the work began. Owing to her en-
Orinous dimensions it was
decided to float her with
her broadside to the stream,
and the cables which held her were
lowered by means Of hydraulic press
ure. Some idea OF the herculean task
which was involved can be imagined
when it is stated that it was the 3lst
day of Jannarv OF the following year
three months from the time the op-
oratiOns were commenced-ere the
extraordinary vessel lay resting on the
waters OF the muddy Thames ready
for the requirements of her owners.
The bottle OF champagne which
had been broken over her
bows had christened her the Levia-
than, and under that name she made
her first trip in the interests of the
company.
HER CAPABILITIES.
Some figures as to he. capabilities
and requirements may prove interest
ing. Her total weight on water was
l2,O0O tons her extreme length $50
feet; breadth exclusive Of paddle
boxes) S2L feet, inclusive, 1l8 feet;
height, So feet, or 20 feet to the top OF
her bulwarks. Her frame was of iron
and covered with plates, 10000 in
number. She had 8 engines, four for
her screws and four for her side
wheels capable of II 900 horse power
and besides these she had twenty
auxiliary engines. Each of her zen
f,n nf .,,,fn rhal
100 tons and the steam was conveyed
from the boilers to the engines
through pipes forty five inches in
diameter. The propeller shaft was
160 feet long, in some parts twenty
four inches in diameter, with screw
propeller at one end twenty-four feet
In diameter. She had ten anchors,
4 mile of chain cables,
five iron masts and one
of wood, carrying 1000 yards OF sail as
m auxiliary to the steam power.
OTHER PARTICULARS.
Some of the anchors weighed ten tons
each. For safety purposes, she car
ried two large large steam launches
xHd 20 other large boats. She had ac-
commodations for 500 saloon passen-
gers, 2O00 second-class, and 1900 third
class, or 5000 souls might have been
accommodated in all had they been
omigrants or troops. A electric tele-
graph conveyed her commanders or
ders from one part of the ship to
the other, and when fully manned, her
crew all told consisted Of 400 men.
Such was the mighty boat as she
steamed proudly out of the mouth of
the Thames on her trial trip, amid the
acclamations of a feet of thousands OF
minor craft that had assembled to see
her depart, and when her owners re-
turned to their offices to foot up what
her cost had been, they found that
from first to last it amounted to the
tidy sum OF $500 900.
HER FIRST TRIP
Was marked by one of the many dis
astcrs which afterwards attended her.
When far out at sea some of her steam
pipes exploded, killing seven men and
seriously wounding a number more.
The results of the trip, however, were
tolerablv successful-she was good
sailer, behaved admirably at sea and
her accommodations We're certainly
all that could be desired. 1t was de-
cided, though, that the Eastern trade
Was not sufficiently remunerative to
admit of her being kept in that SER
vice, and on June 18th, 1860, she sailed
from Southampton to America with
an assorted freight and conveying
number of passengers. She made the
trip in eleven days, and for eighteen
months the "Great Eastern" (for her
name had been changed from the
AIeviathan") piled regularly to and
fro across the Atlantic. Owing to the
enormous expenses which it required
to manipulate her and the insufficl-